Chapter 66
That morning, I headed straight to the workshop behind the mansion.
The smithy, which had been busy producing artifacts, had decided to focus entirely on the special item I’d requested for the time being.
Under the chimney that puffed out thick, gray smoke, a burly dwarf with a scruffy beard was hammering away with all his strength.
“Don’t even think about adding more iron! Focus on tempering it! Remember, you can’t make it any heavier than this!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Harun barked orders at the workers while his own hammer never stopped moving.
The young apprentices, sweating profusely in fear of drawing his attention, struck their iron plates with trembling hands.
They were still green, their faces youthful and full of nerves — clearly new recruits under Harun’s supervision.
Klang! Kaang!
‘Not bad.’
As expected of ones personally chosen by Harun, their skill was decent.
Though short, they carried solid shoulders that gave away their strength. Still not up to Harun’s standards, but close.
Even for a master dwarven blacksmith, it was impossible to run an entire workshop alone. Skilled hands were essential.
“That’s it! You see? You can do it!”
“Th-Thank you, sir!”
“Thank me? Hah! If you can’t draw it this thin next time, I’ll tan your hide!”
“A-Ahh…”
‘You’ll scare them off at this rate.’
If they could endure it, they’d become one of the finest artisans in the kingdom — if they could endure it. But they might just quit before that.
‘I’ll have to give them a reason to stay.’
I decided to pay the new apprentices about half again as much as the others.
Money makes the weight of labor a little easier to bear — that’s just how people work.
“Oi.”
“Ah! Ian! You’re here!”
“Is it done?”
“Almost! Just need to attach the outer plating and it’s finished!”
“That’s fast.”
“Ha! What’s so hard about it? What kind of dwarf can’t build a single magicarriage quickly?”
I chuckled.
Not a horse-drawn carriage, but a magic-powered one.
This carriage didn’t use horses — it ran on a magic core.
Preparing horses for noble gatherings was always a pain: they had to be healthy, well-groomed, and impressive.
Even if the carriage itself glittered like gold, it was all for nothing if the horses looked shabby. And finding sleek, shiny-coated stallions wasn’t exactly easy.
So I came up with a better idea — a magical carriage.
It was expensive, sure, but when compared to the cost of rare horses, this was a bargain. Especially since Harun was crafting it himself.
“Care to take it for a spin? It’s not fully armored yet, but she runs fine!”
“Already?”
“Of course! The frame’s complete. Only problem is, the wind’ll blow right through you!”
“Then I’ll try it.”
“Hahaha! That’s the spirit! This way!”
Following his booming laugh, I stepped out of the workshop.
I’d worried I was bothering him with such a custom order, but judging by his grin, he was having the time of his life.
“Here she is!”
“Ho…”
The carriage was still bare — its inner framework exposed like a toy car stripped of its shell.
Its skeleton stretched along a central axle, showing the underlying design.
Harun sat proudly in the front seat and rummaged around the floor before handing me something like a whip.
“Here! Hold this!”
“What’s this for?”
“Steering, of course! Pull right to turn right, left to turn left! Easy enough for a newborn, eh?”
Apparently, the whip acted as a steering mechanism.
I was used to circular steering wheels, but this was still a carriage, after all — so it made sense it resembled a whip’s handle.
It felt strange, but fun. I sat down.
“Now press the button beneath your feet…”
Vwoooom!
As soon as I pressed the pedal, the carriage surged forward.
I turned the “whip” slightly, and the wheels smoothly followed, spinning us in circles around the workshop. Cold wind rushed in through the open frame, but it only made the thrill sharper.
“W-Waaaah!”
Harun clung to the side, drooling in panic.
It wasn’t even that fast — he was just overreacting.
Screeech!
After circling the yard three times, I stopped the carriage. It felt good — like I’d just gone for a refreshing drive.
“Heh heh heh! This is fun.”
“Ugh… What are you, Ian? Isn’t that your first time driving a carriage?”
“It is.”
‘Though I’ve driven plenty of cars before.’
“Uuurgh…”
Harun turned pale and staggered off, looking seconds away from throwing up.
He wiped the sweat and spit from his mouth and sighed.
“Ugh… You can’t be the one to drive this, Ian. You’ll make everyone inside sick.”
“Probably right. The nobles would gossip if they saw me behind the reins anyway.”
“Hmph. True enough. So? How was it — your first time driving a magic carriage?”
“It’s perfect. Handles well, plenty of power too.”
“Hah! Of course! It’s got the strength of twenty horses!”
‘About seventy horsepower, huh.’
“…Impressive.”
“Isn’t it? With this beauty, you’ll have every noble’s jaw on the floor!”
I laughed, wondering what Harun would say if he ever saw an Earth engine.
‘Not that I could show him — I don’t even understand how those work myself.’
The road to Sothera, capital of the Aisother Kingdom, was smooth as silk.
These were peaceful times — even if it was just a false peace, it was peace nonetheless.
No wars meant quiet, prosperous lands.
Vwooom…
The carriage hummed softly, gliding forward without a hitch, carrying all of us.
It wasn’t particularly fast, but we weren’t racing — the pace was just right.
Inside were me, Islyn, Priana, and a coachman.
The difference from horse-drawn carriages was night and day.
For one thing, my backside wasn’t sore. The steady speed also meant no nausea.
‘Even Isbart could ride comfortably in this.’
He tended to get carsick easily — mostly because normal carriages shook like crazy. This one moved so smoothly a child could nap in it.
Vwooom…
“Young master, isn’t this sound relaxing?”
Priana beamed, clearly enchanted by the ride.
“Can’t say I feel much about it.”
“Same here,” said Islyn flatly.
“Really? Hmm…”
Islyn shot Priana a sideways glance — like she couldn’t understand what was so great about it — then lowered her gaze again.
Though she looked calm, there was something uneasy about her.
Maybe it was the unfamiliar road to the capital… but it felt deeper than that.
‘Now that I think of it, she’s been acting strange ever since I said we were heading to the capital.’
“Islyn.”
“…Yes, young master?”
“Is there something I don’t know about?”
“…No.”
“Doesn’t seem that way.”
“……”
“Forget it. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
I turned my head toward the window.
Her lips quivered slightly, but she stayed silent.
Whatever it was, she’d tell me when she was ready.
Before long, we arrived at Sothera, capital of Aisother.
Through the window, the royal castle rose like a mountain, piercing the sky.
It stood higher and prouder than the outer walls encircling it — the beginning and end of Aisother.
The royal fortress, Terrarium, dwarfed any noble stronghold.
By royal decree, no noble castle could be taller than the kingdom’s — a law said to prevent “waste,” but really to remind the nobility not to overstep their king.
The white walls towered like piled mountains of stone — impregnable and awe-inspiring.
Facing that massive wall, anyone would think twice before attacking.
“Built solid, isn’t it?”
“Of course! The royal castle Terrarium is one of the grandest in the entire Union!”
“That so?”
“Absolutely!”
“Then working under the royal family must be a dream, huh? You’d get to serve in that beautiful castle you love so much.”
“Th-that’s… not quite the same thing…”
“Suit yourself.”
My teasing made Priana flustered.
Even now, she seemed to carry guilt over having once served the king directly.
Serving the king and serving Aisother might sound the same, but in reality, they could be very different things.
What if the king lost his mind? What if his madness led the nation to ruin? Would serving him still mean serving the kingdom?
Priana had already made her choice — though she probably didn’t fully realize it yet.
Would she become a sword for King Erengold II’s ambitions, or a sword that protected the kingdom itself?
“It really is huge,” Islyn murmured.
“Yeah.”
“Taking this place by siege would be nearly impossible.”
“True. Even the Empire hesitated to advance on Sothera during the Great War.”
“Ho…?”
She looked at me, surprised I knew that.
“Read it in a book.”
I brushed it off and turned back to the magnificent view.
Terrarium, crouched like a white giant — both awe-inspiring and, in a way, laughable.
No wall, no matter how thick, can stop enemies that already dwell within.
“Are you from the House of Impera?”
Guards at the outer gate halted our carriage. Priana leaned out the window.
“We are.”
“Understood. You’re cleared to enter.”
“Have the other nobles arrived yet?”
“Yes, most of the invited guests are already here. The rest should arrive by evening.”
“Good. Thank you.”
It seemed even the proudest nobles obeyed when the royal family summoned them.
Along the road, other carriages bore the crests of great houses — adorned with gilded pumpkins, jeweled horse armor, and other extravagant ornaments.
They, too, were here for the royal gathering.
The decorations were so gaudy it was impossible not to stare — though I tried.
In contrast, the Impera carriage was sleek and unadorned, its polished frame gleaming on its own — simple, yet striking.
‘Not a horse carriage… but a magic carriage.’
“Whoa!”
“H-Hey, why’s that carriage moving without horses?”
Passersby gawked.
“Idiot, haven’t you seen a magicarriage before? Must be your first time in the city.”
“Ohh… so that’s what it is? Must cost a fortune.”
“Of course! We’ll die before we ever ride one.”
Even though I valued practicality over appearance, I had to admit — sometimes looks did matter.
Our carriage glided forward like silk, carrying us toward the towering white castle — the Terrarium.
